Commercial Officer - Apprentice

Job summary

Are you interested in joining a profession that plays a vital role in keeping our citizens safe and our country secure? Would you like to build your knowledge and develop expertise in procurement and contract management, supporting efforts to protect the public from serious and organised crime. If so, a commercial apprenticeship at NCA could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Join our dynamic Commercial team and play a key role in delivering value for money across the National Crime Agency. These roles are new roles based across the Commercial department and are perfect for individuals starting their career in commercial and procurement. You'll support sourcing activities, managing supplier relationships, and help ensure compliance with policies and procedures. Working alongside experienced colleagues you'll gain hands-on experience in contract management, market analysis and negotiation while contributing to projects that make a real impact.

Virtual Event

To find out more about the role and the application process we will be holding virtual opening evenings via MS Teams on Tuesday 24th February 2026 1800 to 1900

This event is by invitation only.

To register, please click on the following link

G5 Commercial Officer Virtual Event

You will be asked for your name and email address.

Registration will close on 23rd February at 1200

You will not be able to register after this date and time.

Job description

As an apprentice, you’ll help us secure the best value from the goods and services we procure for the NCA. You’ll be a proactive team player, an effective communicator, and someone who can think on their feet to support our busy Commercial teams.

In this role you will support across all aspects of the commercial lifecycle within the department. You will be expected to provide support to sourcing, procurement and contract management teams and staff. You will be required to analyse data and use market insight to help determine viable sourcing options and support the procurement process.

You will work as part of a larger team, but will be expected to be able to prioritise and manage your own workload to deliver to deadlines and know when to seek support in order to balance both operationally urgent and important tasks.

This role offers a strong foundation of transferable skills in a dynamic environment, an excellent stepping stone for a career in the Civil Service.

We are looking for dedicated, ambitious, and motivated individuals who can help deliver the objectives of the Commercial Directorate and contribute to strengthening our reputation as a trusted team that secures value for money from our contracts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Delivery and Management: Helping to develop plans for how the organisation buys what it needs, making sure we follow the correct contracts. Working with the right people to confirm that what the business wants matches these plans. Gathering information and doing research to help predict future needs and shape these buying plans.

Building and maintaining key relationships across the department and with important external stakeholders: Supporting the management of senior internal stakeholders by keeping them informed on key business matters that drive top-level decision making. Managing senior external stakeholders by maintaining effective working relationships.

Contract developing and management: Supporting day-to-day contract management by handling administrative tasks, monitoring supplier performance and maintaining good working relationships. Providing guidance to colleagues and partners on contract matters. Helping to oversee one or more contracts by ensuring proper governance, managing risks and issues, tracking performance, handling changes, and keeping financial and compliance records up to date. Gathering and analysing data for reporting, and identifying and addressing potential risks linked to suppliers and contracts.

Understanding relevant sourcing options and analysis, delivering positive outcomes through the procurement process: Supporting the buying process by researching the market, helping with negotiations and choosing the best way to purchase goods or services. Updating and maintaining accurate data and files in internal systems (including e-procurement system). Working with colleagues across the department to understand their needs, and gathering information to help build business cases that show the benefits, value for money and risks of proposed projects.

Budgeting and cost management: Support the smooth running of purchase order requests from the business.

Innovation: Support with continuous improvement initiatives.

Assurance: Support the team to establish, plan and manage all stages of the commercial life cycle in adherence to commercial legislation, policy and guidance.

Managing Projects: Providing administrative support to commercial colleagues on ad-hoc basis as part of the team supporting business as usual and project activities.

Person specification

The following skills, knowledge and experience should be demonstrated

• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to produce clear emails, summaries, and reports for a range of stakeholders including Senior Leaders.
• Ability to interpret and apply data.
• Following and adapting processes to meet business needs.
• Highly organised, able to prioritise tasks and maintain attention to detail.
• Proactive and solutions-focused, with strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Self-motivated, committed to learning, and eager to build a long-term Civil Service career.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and comfortable with emerging technologies.

Apprenticeship

You will be enrolled on a Level 4 CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) apprenticeship and complete this alongside your role. The CIPS apprenticeship allows you to study while you work, gaining a globally recognised commercial qualification alongside invaluable hands-on experience. You will complete a Procurement and Supply Chain Practitioner qualification, which takes around 18 months. To be eligible, you must:

• Be 16 or older (no upper age limit)

• Have lived in the UK for at least 3 years before starting

• Not be in another apprenticeship or paid education

• Work at least 30 hours per week.

Please Note

If you have an equivalent or higher qualification within the same subject areaas this apprenticeship you will not be eligible to apply. If you have a higher qualification it must be in adifferent subject area

For more details, see Procurement and supply chain practitioner / Skills England.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• How you would approach a typical commercial situation, assessing your commercial awareness to a problem and any risks involved

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,057, National Crime Agency contributes £10,445 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

New entrants to the NCA receive 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service, plus 8 bank holidays.

If qualifying criteria is met new joiners from UK Police Forces or the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for annual leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day).

Other benefits include:

• Flexible working, including flexi-time, compressed hours and job sharing (in line with business requirements)
• Family friendly policies, notably above the statutory minimum
• Learning and Development opportunities
• Interest free loans and advances, including season tickets, childcare and rental deposits
• Housing schemes - Key Worker status
• Discounts and Savings with a wide variety of services including Cycle to Work, Smart Tech schemes, dental insurance, gym discounts and savings on everyday spending, available through the Reward Gateway , Edenred and Blue Light Card schemes.
• Staff support groups/networks
• Sports and social activities, including membership to the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC)

Further information is available on the NCA Website.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Your application will be assessed against the following:

Experience - This will be assessed:

Statement of Suitability

Please provide a 750 word personal statement demonstrating how you meet the criteria below:

- Ability to interpret and apply data.
- Following and adapting processes to meet business needs.
- Highly organised, able to prioritise tasks and maintain attention to detail.
- Proactive and solutions-focused, with strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
- Self-motivated, committed to learning, and eager to build a long-term Civil Service career.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and comfortable with emerging technologies.

Experience Criteria - will be assessed by 250 word examples on:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt messaging for varied audiences - including senior leaders

A panel will assess how well your application demonstrates the requirements outlined above.

Longlist

In the event of a high number of applications, we may operate a longlist. Applicants will need to meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria.

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt messaging for varied audiences - including senior leaders .

Candidates who do not meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria will not progress to having their other criteria assessed. Applications must meet the minimum criteria to be progressed to the assessment stage.

You will receive an acknowledgement once your application is submitted.

We aim to have sift completed and scores released within 10 working days of the closing date of the advert. For high volume campaigns this timeframe may be extended.

Scores will be provided but further feedback will not be available at this stage.

For guidance on the application process, visit:
NCA Applying and Onboarding

Assessment 1

The format of this assessment will be In tray exercise which will be tested on via the details listed below.

In Tray exercise to look at how you would approach a typical commercial situation, assessing your commercial awareness to a problem and any risks involved

If you are successful you will be invited to the second assessment.

Assessment 2

The format of this assessment will be Interview which will be tested on the criteria listed in the Success Profiles at Assessment section.

Additional assessment methods used alongside Interview

As part of the assessment process In-Tray exercise will be required to assess the criteria outlined below:

This exercise will look at how you would approach a typical commercial situation, assessing your commercial awareness to a problem and any risks involved

The In-tray and Assessment 2 will be conducted separately over two different dates

Success Profiles at Assessment

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Assessment Outcome

Outcomes will be communicated via the NCA recruitment portal.
If successful but no role is immediately available, you may be placed on a reserve list for 12 months.
Reserve lists can be used to fill similar role types across the Agency where the assessment criteria is considered a match by the recruitment team and the business area.

In the event of a tie at the assessment stage, available roles will be offered in merit order using the following order:

1. Lead criteria (behaviours/technical/experience)
2. If still tied, desirable criteria will be assessed (if advertised)
3. If still tied, application sift scores will be used

Feedback is provided only to those who attend an assessment.

You will be subject to vetting and pre-employment checks before appointment.

Once the vacancy closes, the advert will no longer be accessible. Please save a copy for your records.

We encourage all candidates to visit the NCA Careers Page for more information.

Full advert details for this vacancy can found on the advert on the NCA Recruitment Portal. Please follow the link to apply at advertisers' site.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : The Recruitment Team
• Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk
• Telephone : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe your application has not been treated fairly, email: Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk (quoting the vacancy reference).
If unresolved, you may escalate your complaint to the Civil Service Commission.